An investigation by French investigative site Mediapart into the past of Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally (RN) party, has turned into a political crisis threatening the presidential campaign of party leader Marine Le Pen.
After Bardella dismissed the initial accusations as "crude forgeries" and a political hit job, the investigative outlet published authenticated evidence on Thursday:
- Screenshots and original files: The paper released direct screenshots from group chats on Messenger, alongside an official Meta Export data file taken from the account of one of the chat participants.
- Notarial authentication: The outlet presented a document signed by a French bailiff (Huissier), confirming that the files and messages are original, appear on the servers, and have not been graphically edited.
- The content: The exposed messages include statements attributing control of banks and global conspiracies to Jews, written between 2013 and 2015.
- Among the messages: "If you look at things from a Talmudic point of view, the Jew must control the goy."
Marine Le Pen's tense silence
As the investigation made waves and France's political establishment reacted, far-right leader Marine Le Pen initially maintained a conspicuous media silence.
Le Pen's decision not to respond immediately to the screenshot publication sparked speculation. Le Pen, who has spent recent years on a "normalization" campaign (Dédiabolisation), cleansing the party of the antisemitic and extremist statements associated with her father, party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, found herself in a strategic trap.
Saturday: Show of support and declaration of war
The silence broke over the weekend. In a planned show of support for Bardella, Le Pen issued a public statement standing fully behind her political partner and her candidate for prime minister. She said that she has "absolute confidence" in Bardella and described the reports as "a coordinated, desperate and dirty attack" designed to damage the party ahead of elections.
Le Pen and Bardella announced the party is filing defamation suits and a criminal complaint for document forgery, and accused the media of waging "total war" against the French right.
Despite the statement of support, French commentators note that the screenshot exposure puts the party's public relations to its toughest test in recent years.
